Moments
by PumpkinsandChocolate
Summary: My take on what should have happened after Damon declared his love in 3x14. Elena finally realizes what she feels for Damon in that one moment. Rated 'M' to be safe. This is a collection of one-shots for small but incredible moments that happen afterwards
1. Moment 1:  Chapter 1

"No, I'm mad because I love you!"

My entire body froze at his words as I felt his anger and his heat behind them sink into my skin. My head snapped up on its own accord and I saw his bright blue eyes, shining with irritation, searching mine rapidly as his words settled into the air between us.

He loved me. Damon Salvatore just openly admitted his feelings about me and my entire body sprang alive inside. My heart began to beat faster, my skin began prickling, my breath became shallow and try as I might I could feel water burning behind my eyes.

I had always known he felt something for me and it wasn't because of the kiss he planted on me as we stood on my porch, one that still made my toes curl thinking about it. I wasn't naïve, I knew that in the beginning I represented some sort of twisted game to him in an attempt to take revenge on his brother. However, sometime in-between that and this exact moment the entire dynamic between Damon and me had shifted from annoyance, to tolerance, to understanding, to friendship, to a bonded affinity, and now to this.

It was the way he looked after me, the way he touched me and didn't touch me, the way he spoke to me both with his mouth and with those blasted blue eyes of his. It was the way my body lately would thrum whenever he was near and whenever he took control of an opportunity to touch me, and damnit if my body didn't burst out of its skin every time he did.

I had survived these last horrific months because of this man standing in front of me, looking so handsome in that tux it almost hurt not to reach out and grab hold of him. He was my closest friend, someone I knew I could lean on for trust, protection and understanding. There was an under running current of something so strong about our relationship that it had taken hold of us both and here he stood, the first one to openly state what it was.

My love for Stefan wasn't suddenly made false because of this new found discovery, it just made it different from the feelings that were now coursing through my entire being. My love for Stefan had been pure and untainted. My love for Damon is complicated and frustratingly so full of emotion that my entire body at times feels sapped of all energy.

My love for Damon….

My eyes were staring straight back at his at my unspoken confession and where his eyes were once shining with anger they now stared back at me with open vulnerability and hope. I don't know how long we had been standing there, me with my thoughts running wildly through my head and him starting unwaveringly down on my frozen body.

I loved Damon. There was absolutely no way of getting past that fact and I felt a thrill of energy shoot through me when I realized that I didn't want to get past that. I wanted to soak in these new revelations with him. I wanted to cling to the fact that after all these dark months of sadness and pain he still stood there as my one shard of hope that there was still something worth grabbing life for. He had been there for me through everything, unwavering in his protection and care of me as I faced some of the harshest moments since my parents death. He had stood by me and never once let me fall and now he stood in front of me, telling anyone who cared to listen in that he loved me.

He loves me.

I love him.

I need him.

"Damon…" I whispered and saw his body begin to shut down as my words took on a pleading tone. To him, sounding as if I was going to ask him again to shut his feelings up tightly in a box and throw the key to the farthest corners of the earth. To me, I'm asking him to close the distance between us as fast as his vampire speed would allow.

"I see."

His words were harshly ground and his eyes were almost biting at me and I felt my entire heart clench as I realized just how badly I was capable of hurting him, by denying him and I the only thing that made sense anymore. Love.

"Damon, wait…." I said as he turned to leave me, my hand shooting out on its own accord and grabbing his hand. It was his body's turn to freeze at the unexpected contact and breathlessness behind my words.

He didn't turn back around to face me but he did turn his head over his shoulder to look at me with confusion, sadness and newfound hope.

He was so handsome it was heart breaking with his jet black hair, penetrating blue eyes, strong jaw clenched in anticipation, mouth shut tightly in an effort to not let any more damning words loose, and his entire body frozen in place with muscles bunched together as to not make another move.

"I love you."

There was no build-up to my response, no music reaching a crescendo, no crowd around us to cheer on my admission. It was just Damon and me and this moment that was about to change everything.

He wasn't able to stop the look of shock that came over his face at my words, he was powerless to stop his body from turning so fast towards me that he reminded me exactly what his body was capable of. I felt his hands come up and cradle my neck while he took a step forward making me turn my head up to be able to keep my eyes on his.

His eyes were darker now and with them trained solely on me I could feel my body begin to heat as my cheeks flushed under his fingers and my heart began to beat swifter. He could feel the change in my body immediately and his responding smirk did nothing to calm me.

"Do you know how long…." He began to say when someone called out his name from behind us.

We both turned and saw Stefan standing, waiting.

I expected my heart to seize up and guilt to wrack me but all I could feel was contentment when his thumb rubbed the side of my face as he turned back towards me.

I saw Caroline grabbing her coat and bag from the front hall entrance and knew she was planning on heading home.

"I see Caroline, I can just see if she can drop me off on her way home." I whispered, watching as his eyes ran over me, desperately memorizing the features of my face.

He nodded his head once and without any warning in his eyes, he bent his head down and pressed what was supposed to be a chaste kiss on my lips. However, the second his lips met mine I felt goosebumps sprout up along my arms and my belly clench hard. The physical reactions caused me to gasp into the kiss and he took the opportunity to sweep his tongue inside, gently flicking at mine while his hold on the small of my back tightened.

I knew how inappropriate we must have looked, clutching to one another and wrapped up in a kiss that would have been better suited for a darkened hallway. Amidst all of this, I could help the tiny moan that came from his ministrations of my mouth. At my moan, I heard a low grumble from low in his throat and his hold on me tightened further. We broke apart and he rested his forehead on mine as I caught my breath, my skin was hot and heavy and I wanted nothing more than to get out of the yards of fabric I was in.

Damon took my flushed appearance in and grinned, making my lower belly ache, and kissed my forehead before whispering,

"I'll see you soon, love."

I closed my eyes and when I opened them, he was walking off towards wherever Stefan had disappeared to.

I needed a cold shower.


	2. Moment 1: Chapter 2

I don't know how long I sat on the edge of my bed, smiling softly at the wall as I remembered the touch of his hands and feel of his lips on me. A small breeze drifted along the nape of my neck and before I had the chance to look over to my window, I heard his voice crackle through the silence.

"You should be asleep."

I turned and saw him standing in front of my now open window, his jacket long-discarded and the sleeves of his white button-down shirt rolled up past his forearms. The top three buttons of the shirt were undone letting me see the muscular planes of his chest and followed the row of buttons down past what laid beneath. By the time I dragged my eyes back up to his, I knew I had been caught by the telltale smug smile on his face.

"See something you like?" He asked with a joking lilt to his voice.

I surprised the both of us by breathily responding,

"And if I do?"

A muscle in his jaw twitched and suddenly he was standing before me with those piercing eyes looking straight down into mine making my stomach erupt with butterflies.

I slowly stood up to my full height and with how close he had moved to me, parts of my body rubbed against his hard chest causing me to bite my lip. I saw his entire body flex with the sensation and wasn't sure if it was my reaction or watching his that caused a coil of heat to spring into my lower stomach.

"There's no going back from this, Elena."

"I don't want to go back, Damon."

His hand came up and tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear and it felt like a shock of electricity jolted around my face when he rested his hand behind the nape of my neck. His other arm came up and around my back and pulled me flush against him so I could feel every hard line and contour of his body against mine. The act and feel of his body against mine was so intimate, I couldn't help the small whimper that escaped my lips. How did I deny this for so long?

Those same blue eyes that were looking on me adoringly went dark at the noise I emitted and I could feel his hands tighten on the small of my back and nape of my neck.

"I'm not Stefan." He whispered, partially as a warning and partially as a reminder.

I smiled softly at him and brought my hand up, running my fingers along the side of my face as his eyes remained trained on mine.

"I know. I love _you_." I whispered to him, effectively answering the questions still brewing in his eyes.

I saw something in him shift at my declaration and my heart beat answered him, feeling as if there was a drum alive in my chest.

"And I love you." He whispered, fingers running through my hair and eyes staring so intently at me I felt color rise to my cheeks in a light flush.

"You are so damn beautiful."

A soft smile graced my lips and I leaned up and lightly brushed my lips against his, both our eyes remaining open at the contact as the room pulsed around us. I became rapidly aware of him, hard and unyielding on top of me and against me and I wasn't able to stop my body from rubbing against his where I was aching for him most.

He groaned and dipped his head down against my neck, his entire body practically vibrating against mine as he desperately tried to hold onto his control.

"Elena…."

Where he may have intended it to come out as a warning, it came out as a growl laced with lust, love and passion and it just caused the heat to coil tighter in my belly.

"I want this, Damon. I want you." I reassured him, running my hands down his tensed back and closing my eyes at the feel of his muscles bunching underneath my touch.

I wasn't able to stop and think about the words that were coming out of my mouth since I wasn't doing my best to find the right words to vocalize what I was feeling in the moment we found ourselves in. I gasped when I felt his lips and tongue against the sensitive part of my neck and arched up into him, desperate for more contact.

He lifted his head up and stared at me with darkened eyes and I could already see what he was feeling, questions he didn't want to ask lest he break the spell that was cast over our two bodies and hearts. I could see how desperately he wanted this, how hard he was trying to not just tear my clothes off and give me what I wanted.

Grabbing his face in-between my hands, I brought his head down to rest on mine and the full force of his eyes hit me as I whispered,

"This moment is ours, I want to take it."

I cemented my statement by anchoring my hands against his lower back and crushing my body against his causing us both to groan at the sensation. I didn't get a chance to see what his response would be before I felt his lips come crashing down on mine and an avalanche of emotions spill into me.

His kisses were passionate, and hard, and soft and rough in all the right places and it had me panting beneath him as I clawed at his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine. My skin felt like it was on fire but being doused in ice-water at the same time and it was driving me insane.

He lowered his lips to my ear and whispered in a low voice that made me come un-done,

"You're mine. In this moment and every moment after that."


	3. Moment 1: Chapter 3

Sunlight filtered through the curtains of my bedroom window, tickling my closed eyelids enough to rouse me from my deep sleep.

My eyes blinked heavily a few times, starting at the curtains gently blowing with the force of the wind and a smile played on my lips. My entire body was humming from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes and it made me feel more alive than I'd felt in months. My eyes fluttered closed once more as I took an account my body while I stayed perfectly still in the bed.

I could feel my lips, swollen from where he had pulled out kisses and small bites onto his incredible mouth.

I could feel my throat and neck, still tingling with the feel of his tongue and teeth as he claimed me through the night.

I could feel my breasts, my peaks still sensitive under the sheets from where he had sucked and nipped until my throat was hoarse from crying out.

I could feel my wrists, slightly bruised from where he had held them above my head when I had felt I could give no more and he kept forward to prove me wrong.

I could feel my hips, his fingerprints still on skin from when he had held me down to the bed when my body wanted fly up and arch to his mouth and tongue.

I could feel my thighs, still sore from the feel of cradling his strong hips as they thrust against mine.

I could feel me in my most sensitive of spots, still wet from last night and gaining more moisture as I thought about it.

"Good morning."

His voice was gravely from sleep and something else and the way it tickled my ears and skin made me moan as I remembered all the things he whispered into my ear last night, making me scream his name more than I was able to keep track of.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's dangerous to tease a vampire in the morning?"

I felt his lips brush across my bare shoulder and I had to clamp my legs together as I felt more moisture beginning to pool.

I opened my eyes and turned my head towards him taking in his appearance and my heart melted at the sight.

"What do you mean?" I asked him breathlessly, loving the way his chest muscles flexed as he reached a strong arm out to pull me further against him. As soon as my back was pressed tightly against his chest, I gasped as I felt him hard and ready against my lower back.

"We have a keen sense of smell, sound and sight and right now I can smell you ready for me underneath these sheets. I can hear your heart pounding out of that wonderful chest of yours and I can see your skin getting pumped full of blood. But that's not all your body wants to be pumped full with, is it lover?"

I gasped at his words and felt my body clench around itself making his mouth turn into that sarcastically smug smirk of his causing my eyes to narrow as I realized I would love nothing more than to beat him at his own game.

I moved over onto my other side so I was now facing him and pressed my entire front against him, fitting my curves and dampening sex against his hard everything. His eyes went black at the movement as I knew he could feel me and suddenly his teasing hands were now gripping my hips unforgivingly.

"Are you offering to help me with my current…predicament?" I asked him from beneath my lashes, purposefully wanting to see his control break.

"You're playing a very dangerous game." He warned me, rocking my hips against his making me cry out at the friction and grab hold his chest at the bolts of electricity that were running down my body.

"What do you want, Elena?" He asked me, placing teasing nips along my neck making me arch into him again.

"You…"I murmured, my eyes closed and basking in his attentions on my body.

"How do you want me?"

"What?" I asked him in a breath, my brain foggy with the sensations his rocking hips and traveling lips were having as his strong hands held me still, not letting me move one desperate inch.

"Tell me how you want me." I felt him slip against me and I knew my wetness was more than dampening him as I felt him grow harder and more demanding against me, his jaw clenching with every effort of self-control to not take me as he did last night.

"Inside me. Forever. Body and heart."

I saw his eyes soften at my words and saw the love he had for me before he whispered back,

"Always, my Elena."

He held my eyes with his before ending the sweet agony he was creating by holding my hips steady and thrusting up to join us, making a long cry come from my mouth and a low growl was ripped from his throat.

We were together, in all ways possible, and my heart and life was completed by his friendship, his love and his promise of forever.


	4. Moment 2: Chapter 1

I pushed open the large oak door to the Boarding House, hearing nothing except for a slight crackle and pop from the fire place. Even with the silence, I knew he was in here. Something about mine and his relationship allowed me to _feel _more of him and right now I was feeling anger washing over me in waves.

I had only seen Damon angry a handful of times, mostly at myself or Stefan, but every time he was angry his emotions ran away from any logic and he acted out in ways to hurt those who had hurt him. I knew he had seen Stefan kiss me, what I didn't know is if he had stuck around long enough to see me immediately pull away.

Stefan had wanted to talk privately with me after seeing the affection between Damon and me and while it had started as seeking closure, it ended with him attempting to rekindle a fire that had long gone cold. When I pulled away and he saw the look in my eyes, he immediately apologized as sadness came over him. I had pulled him into a hug, surprising him, and told him that I forgave him and without me needing to say so we both knew it was for him attempting to kiss me and for the months prior he had put me through.

I had stood up on my toes and whispered that I wanted him to be happy, that he deserved to be happy, and that he was a good man. I brushed a kiss across his cheek and turned away, intent on tracking Damon down.

To tell the truth, I was surprised he hadn't marched over and none so gently pulled his brother away from me and taken the opportunity to announce to Stefan who I was now with. When I looked over to where I had felt him standing only to see air, my heart pumped in fear as to where had gone off to. Something, however, led me to where exactly I was standing.

He had a glass of something in his left hand, which was more than likely alcohol, and was leaning his right hand above the fireplace. Even from where I was standing, I could feel the tension in his body and saw his fingers tighten around the glass.

Rather than saying anything, I walked forward and stood a couple of feet behind him and laid a hand gently on his back. I felt his back muscles tense and he stood up causing my hand to drop and my heart to fall with it.

"Damon."

He turned towards me and even in his current state, I couldn't help but smile as I saw those blue eyes look at me with licks of fire reflected in his irises.

"How'd your chat with Stefan go?" He asked while taking a sip from his drink, an act which didn't mute the sarcastic tone to his voice.

"I know you saw, Damon."

I went to reach my hand up to his cheek but he turned his head to thrust the poker in the fire and with his anger propelling him, he sent some logs flying into the back of the fireplace.

I sighed, looking at his form in front of me and knowing what was going through his mind. Our relationship, if that's what we were going to call it, had been going rather smoothly since our first night truly being together. We had hit a couple of snags here and there, what with Damon being his snarky self and me being my stubborn self, but at the end of the night it was always his arms I collapsed into and it was my lips pressing against his chest.

He wouldn't ever admit it, but I knew Damon still had his insecurities over how this had all transpired. He had once whispered quietly after a night of love-making that it just seemed to easy how we now found ourselves together. I remembered I had just smiled and whispered back that it was fate that brought us to that point.

My love for him was growing deeper every day and our friendship grew stronger as we were able to no longer tip-toe around the elephant that had always been in the room with us before. When feelings of love or desire took over either of us, we were able to reach out for one another and lay claim to those feelings.

I could reach up and brush the hair out of his striking eyes and he could wrap an arm around my waist to bring our bodies closer together. The moments I loved the most were when he would dip his lips to my ear and whisper so sweetly I could almost feel them,

"I love you."

To the rest of the world he hadn't changed a bit, other than his arms and hands were never too far from mine. But to me, in those soft moments we shared, I felt like we laid our clothes and skin bare at the door and we found what we needed in each other every second of every day.

His walls came down, my fears and insecurities vanished, and it was him and I and the love we took and gave from and to each other. The moments he would whisper those words to me and I would softly repeat them he would say back,

"The words don't do justice."

I would always feel my heart pick up speed when he said that because it was in those moments that it was completely just him and I. Damon wasn't a hopeless romantic, he didn't suddenly bring me flowers every day or throw rose petals on my bed for a romantic evening in. No, Damon just knew how to love me and I knew how to love him back and we did it so completely that no other acts were needed.

It was for all these reasons and more that I was able to whisper to him as he stood still facing the fire,

"I'm not Katherine."

My words purposely echoed his from our first night together and he turned towards me, his eyes now open and exposed as I continued with,

"I loved Stefan, I loved him in a time of my life that he fit into and made better. But that time is over now both in my heart and my mind. I am different from the Elena that loved Stefan and wanted his love in return."

His eyes shined as he kept quiet, knowing that he needed and wanted to hear what I had to say as tears streamed freely down my cheeks as I finally opened up and expressed with words how I felt.

"You are my heart and without you my heart doesn't beat the same. I want you in my life because I love you, only you, and because I want you to be the one there to share the moments with me that makes me realize how many more moments I want to have with you. I just want _you_, always."

I let the last word out on a breath as he rushed forward and grabbed the sides of my face with both hands, his forehead coming to rest on mine and I could see his eyes pulsing with love and devotion and completion.

"I don't deserve you." He told me.

I smiled and reached up, resting my fingers on his wrist and told him in response,

"Yes you do. But more than that, we deserve us."

He stared at me as we let my words wrap around us, slowly building cocoon and my eyes closed as words from a poem he had read to me weeks back came out from his mouth, low and gravelly and so full of love and warmth I had to lean against his solid form to keep standing,

"Sleep from my soul began retreating, and here you once again appear before me like a vision fleeing, a beauty's angel pure and clear."

He leaned forward, kissing me so slowly and with so much love that I felt more tears squeeze from my eyes as his hands desperately held me close, not wanting the intoxicating intimacy we were sharing to escape from between us.

It was in this moment that old wounds and insecurities were buried, and from it the two of us and our love grew.


	5. Moment 3: Chapter 1

"Please, Damon." I said, cocking my head to the side as he sighed and turned around to face me.

My high school prom was coming around the corner and as I was now a junior I would be able to attend. I still remember the way his arms and touch felt when he took Stefan's place at Miss Mystic Falls. God, he could dance.

"Elena, I'm a 170-year old vampire who has absolutely no urges to enter into the PG-rated version of Woodstock at Mystic Falls."

My eyes narrowed and as I was about to work closer to badgering him into taking me, I remembered the being that was standing in front of me and the way said beings' mind worked. A small smile caused my lips to turn upwards and as I turned back around to face my mirror and adjust my top, I saw his eyebrows furrow in curiosity at my change in demeanor.

I gave a drawn-out sigh and said to him without turning to look,

"I understand, Damon. You've probably been to hundreds of these types of dances in your lifetime. I just thought it would be nice to see you in a tux again."

I saw him place his hands on his hips and raise one inquisitive eyebrow as I sauntered past him, grabbing my school bag from his desk.

"Besides, a man of your age probably feels rusty in the face of us eighteen year olds on the dance floor. I probably would just be better off accepting Matt's invitation."

His eyes steeled over and as I went to walk past, his hand grabbed me around my waist and the world tilted as I was dipped down in his arms so far my hair was skimming the floor. I gasped at both the sudden movement and the way his eyes stared down intently into mine, his handsomeness causing a pink blush to come to my cheeks.

"First off, you and I both know I am anything but rusty. Secondly, I will snap his neck if he seriously had the intention on taking you anywhere that involves you in a dress and a dance floor. And lastly, you really think you can manipulate me, your vampire lover, into prom?" He asked, his face never once moving away from mine as my hands held tightly onto his biceps, feeling the steely muscles underneath the black shirt he wore.

"I don't know…is it working?" I asked hopefully, my heart pounding at the look in his eyes and the small smirk that made my heart skip a beat.

I squealed as he brought me back up as fast as he had taken me down but he held me tightly against his chest so that my feet dangled above the floor. He began moving us around my room in an overly dramatic waltz and all I could do was cling to his neck as my feet swayed into the air around me.

Sometimes I forgot how physically strong Damon was, what he was capable of, and it was moments like this when he was twirling me around as if I weighed nothing but a feather that reminded me and caused my body to warm.

"Miss Gilbert, it would be my honor."

I laughed and brought my head down towards him, planting my lips squarely on his as he held me in the middle of my room, sunlight streaming through the windows.

PROM NIGHT

I heard the doorbell ring and took a deep breath as my stomach filled with butterflies, my heels clacking on the hardwood floor as I went to open the door. I don't know what was different about tonight, but it was making me feel like it was the first time I was going on a date with Damon. Utterly ridiculous…

I opened the door and my thoughts immediately died as I saw him leaning, ever so James Dean like, against my doorway. He looked incredible. The tux was fitted exactly to his body and the dark shirt he wore instead of the traditional white caused his eyes to pop out and make my heart trip over itself.

"You look amazing." I breathed, not quite believing that the beautiful man in front of me was actually mine.

"You're exquisite." He responded back with in a soft tone that made my toes curl as he walked slowly inside, shutting the door behind him soundly and never once letting my eyes leave his.

I had picked out a full-skirt red strapless dress with asymmetrical beadings, a drop waist and corset backing. He circled around me predatorily and murmured low in his throat,

"Mmm…."

My eyes closed at the noise and when I opened them he was in front of me, eyes dark and full of heat and love and before he could move forward I put my hands on his chest and said firmly,

"We are going to this dance."

He gave me an adorable pout before pulling my hips towards his making me gasp and grab hold his arms.

"Yes Miss Gilbert. Just don't expect for me to make this easy on you."

"Do you ever?" I countered saucily.

He smiled at me and released one arm from my back to run his knuckles across my cheek and down my jaw line causing me to close my eyes and lean into his touch. Every time he touched me, the world around us condensed into just him and me and any worries or anxiety the day had created simply disappeared.

"Do you love me?"

I smiled softly and opened my eyes to his, both open and so full of light that a bubble of happiness came to my heart as I grabbed his hand softly in mine.

"With everything I am."

"For how long?"

"Forever."

He smiled and leaned into me slowly, brushing his lips against mine and causing my eyes to roll softly backwards behind my closed lid. It was in this moment that I knew my stance on who and what I wanted to become would change.


	6. Moment 3: Chapter 2

Damon had actually behaved himself the entire night spent with my friends and schoolmates that I almost forgot how non-normal this normal high-school experience was turning out to be.

He had just left the table we had claimed to grab myself and Bonnie another glass of punch and I smiled stupidly and dreamily at his retreating back, his form causing an instant path through the gyrating bodies.

"You're drooling." Bonnie sing-song at me with her chin propped in her hand, a teasing smile on her lips.

"I can't help it." I whispered to her, my eyes never leaving his body.

"I have to admit, tonight hasn't been so bad."

At her confession, I laughed at turned towards her with raised eyebrows asking playfully,

"Don't tell me you're actually enjoying all the company had at this table?"

She smirked and rolled her eyes before answering matter of fact like,

"Don't push it Gilbert, there's still a long ways to go."

I laughed and nudged her shoulder with mine before we both turned to the dance floor and watched as Caroline and Matt swayed on the dance floor to the pulsing music. Her eyes were bright with happiness and Matt couldn't stop touching some part of her body the entire time.

"They look so happy together." Bonnie murmured with a happy lilt to her voice.

We both cracked up when Caroline turned and gave her a classic 'duh' look, immediately reminding me of the non-normal aspects of our lives.

"You know, a couple of years ago you and I would of laughed the person out of the room if they told us this is where and how our lives would be tonight. Who would have thought that adding a couple of vampires and curses to the mix of our rather normal lives would have had us here?"

Bonnie tilted her head to the side, the lights of the room dancing off her bare shoulders, and said slowly,

"I think it was inevitable."

"What do you mean?" I asked, intrigued with her response.

"Think about it, Elena. I was always destined to be a witch and you were always the doppelgänger. Just like in nature, everything needs a catalyst and ours happened to be said vampires and curses. It's been a bumpy ride, for sure, but it's not like we could have gone on the way we had been for forever. Eventually, something would have triggered the start of all of this. I'm just glad…."

She stopped and closed her lips tightly making me lean in and ask her softly amid the music,

"What, Bonnie?"

"Look, you and I both know I don't condone half of what Damon and Stefan are and have one but if they hadn't of been here, I don't know how long all of us would have survived everything we've gone through. Granted, some events probably wouldn't have even taken place but I don't know if we would have even had a chance to sit here and enjoy this night without them."

I looked towards the dance floor as her finger drew patterns on the tablecloth absentmindedly.

"Bonnie, regardless of where we are tonight I still firmly believe everything happens for a reason. I believe there's order in the chaos, light in the dark, and hope in even the most hopeless of times. I believe we're all here for a reason."

"What's that?"

I took her hand in mine and squeezed it gently while saying,

"Friendship, love, support . . . we're family. No matter what happens or what comes at us, we're there for each other no matter the cost. We're not alone in this, not ever."

She smiled and drew me into a hug, resting her cheek against my shoulder and breathed deeply and more freely than she had in a long time. The song changed to a slow melodic tune and her date tapped her on the shoulder in the universal request to dance.

She smiled at me and discreetly wiped a tear away before standing up to be led to the dance floor as the lights dimmed even further.

"Dance with me."

I looked up and saw Damon standing before me, looking so handsome as his eyes stayed trained on mine and the lights from the oh-so tacky disco ball strung above ran across his features.

"Always."

His lips lifted as I placed my hand in his, feeling his fingers wrap securely around mine as he led me to the corner of the dance floor.

His left arm came securely around my waist as his right hand gripped my left and held it tight to his chest. I could feel warmth from where his fingers splayed low across my back and his body moved mine against his in time with the music.

"Do you remember the last time we danced this close?" I asked him, watching his eyes soften at the memory I was sure was also replaying in his head.

"You looked so ravishing I could hardly wait till the moment our skin could actually touch."

My cheeks stained red at the low timber in his words as I leaned my cheek against his chest, closing my eyes and turning my body off and letting his completely take over.

"Where did you learn to dance?" I asked him softly, feeling his chest rumble beneath my cheek with a small laugh.

"Here, there, everywhere…"

I smiled and tightened my hold on him, not ever wanting this moment to end.

"What's wrong?" He asked me gently, feeling the frantic energy rolling off of me.

I didn't answer him and instead just pushed my cheek further into his chest causing him to do some rather fancy footwork of twirls until we were in an ever more secluded area on the dance floor.

"Elena."

I could never deny him so I lifted my head off to face him and saw his eyes go dark in concern at the tears in my eyes.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" His hands immediately came up to take hold of my face gently, not letting my eyes turn from his.

My fingers clasped the lapels on his jacket and I said shakily,

"Don't ever leave me."

His face went lax in surprise at my words and one of his hands left my face to tighten around my body, pulling me so tight against but not tight enough for my liking. I felt like I wanted to crawl inside of him to ensure I always remained apart of him and he of me.

"Look at me."

His voice was husky causing me to shiver against him as I brought my eyes up to his, so electric blue with emotion I felt snared in his gaze.

"I will _never_ leave you."

My eyes danced back and forth on his as I uttered the words I knew would change everything,

"Then make sure that I can never leave _you_."

His body went still and with his, so did mine as he studied my face with a clenched jaw and darkened eyes.

Words weren't needed to express my wish or the emotions behind them. I had made my choice and I needed to make sure he knew it, understood it, and accepted it.

The thought of becoming a Vampire when I was with Stefan had caused a breakdown at the time of my life, I hadn't wanted it. I wanted a life with a husband and children and growing old together. Becoming a Vampire was never an option or a choice I ever planned on making.

With Damon, there _was_ no other choice. I didn't want a husband if he didn't have Damon's eyes or face or soul or heart. I didn't want children if they didn't have the similarities of his looks or personality for me to watch from infancy to adulthood. And I didn't want to grow old if it meant every laboring breath I took was to take me away from the man that had breathed life back into me.

His hands came up and cupped my jaw and neck and slowly, his lips came down upon mine with soft flesh and skin meeting his. The avalanche of emotions that came down on me made me whimper and hold onto his body for support.

He either didn't notice or didn't care to comment as his lips pressed harder against mine, instantly making my mouth open into a moan to allow his tongue to flash inside and lick against mine. I didn't feel us move but suddenly my back was pressed tightly against a cold wooden beam so he could raise me off my feet higher to get closer between my legs.

When we broke apart, he leaned his forehead against mine as I panted against his lips and uttered one word in this one moment that solidified everything,

"Yes."


End file.
